On September 6, 1938, Pope Pius XI spontaneously offered the following reflection to a group of Belgian pilgrims. It was apparently not the Vatican’s practice at the time to publish papal statements that had not been prepared in advance. Consequently, Pius XI’s words were not printed in contemporary Vatican publications, but they were recorded and published in Belgium and elsewhere. Given the legal restrictions being imposed on Jews by the Nazi government, some commentators hold that the sentence on self-defense reflects theological anti-Judaism (which saw Jews as a threat to Christian faith), thus undercutting the power of the famous final sentence. Others see these remarks as a first glimmer of theological solidarity with Jews. Source: La Documentation Catholique (1938), pp. 1459-1460; cited in Johannes G. M. Willebrands, Church and Jewish People: New Considerations (Paulist, 1992), p. 60.

At the most solemn moment of the Mass we recite the prayer which contains the expression "sacrifice of Abel, sacrifice of Abraham, sacrifice of Melchisedek" in three strokes, three times, three steps, the entire religious history of mankind—a magnificent passage. Every time we read it we are seized by an irresistible emotion. The sacrifice of our patriarch Abraham. Note that Abraham is called our patriarch, our ancestor. Antisemitism is incompatible with the thought and the sublime reality expressed in this text. It is alien to us, a movement in which we Christians can have no part. The promise was made to Abraham and to his descendants. It is realized in Christ, and through Christ in us who are members of his mystical body. Through Christ and in Christ we are the spiritual descendants of Abraham. No, it is not possible for Christians to take part in antisemitism. We acknowledge for all the right to defend themselves, to adopt measures of protection against what threatens their legitimate interests. But antisemitism is inadmissible. Spiritually, we are Semites.

Hanukkah begins at sundown on Dec. 16 and ends the evening of Dec. 24. Flickr

On Tuesday evening, Jews will light their menorahs for the first night of Hanukkah. Also known as the Festival of Lights, the Jewish holiday begins at sundown on Dec. 16 and ends the evening of Dec. 24. The eight-day holiday celebrates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem during the second century B.C., when Jews led by the Maccabees revolted against their Greek-Syrian oppressors.

Each night of the eight-day holiday is marked by giving gifts, eating latkes and lighting a candelabra, or menorah. While Hanukkah may be one of the best-known Jewish holidays, it’s not the most important, nor does it bear much religious significance. In fact, the Hanukkah story isn’t mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. It’s described in the Book of Maccabees, which is omitted from the Old Testament.

In the United States and other Western nations, however, Hanukkah becomes a “Jewish Christmas” of sorts. According to a 2010 study, “The importance of Hanukkah among American Jews is driven by its proximity (in the time dimension) to Christmas,” Ran Abramitzky, Liran Einav and Oren Rigbi wrote in the study published in the Economic Journal. “Many American Jews use Hanukkah as a way to provide their children with an exciting alternative.”

But in Israel, “it’s a holiday, but it’s not so special,” Einav told the Washington Post in a 2011 interview. Schools are let out during the holiday and there are tons of festivals and concerts, but holiday shopping isn’t the main focus.

For those not familiar with the Festival of Lights, below are five answers to common questions surrounding the popular Jewish holiday:

What’s the Hanukkah story?

The Hanukkah story celebrates two events. The first describes how a small army of Jews, led by the Maccabee brothers, defeated the Seleucid Greco-Syrian Empire in Jerusalem. At the time, the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes outlawed the Jewish religion, desecrated the Second Temple and made Jews sacrifice pigs — a non-kosher animal — on its altar.

After the Maccabees defeated the Greeks, they rededicated the Second Temple. To do so, they needed to light the menorah — a candelabra inside the temple that was part of daily Temple service — each night. The Maccabees were able to do so with a small drop of oil that lasted for eight nights. The event is considered a miracle since it gave the Maccabees enough time to find a fresh batch of oil.

"Three Americans were among four worshipers killed in a Jerusalem synagogue Tuesday by two Palestinians wielding meat cleavers and a gun and shouting "Allahu Akbar" in a brutal attack that prompted a vow from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to "respond harshly."

The American citizens — identified by the State Department as Mosheh Twersky, Aryeh Kupinsky and Cary William Levine — were killed along with a Briton when the assailants, identified as cousins, stormed the building and began attacking people. Police said those killed were all immigrants to Israel and held dual citizenship.

Eight others were injured — one critically — before the attackers were killed in a shootout with police. The Times of Israel cited witnesses who said the attackers stormed the synagogue, in the ultra-Orthodox Har Nof neighborhood in the western part of Jerusalem, shouting "Allahu Akbar," Arabic for "God is Great," and creating a horrific scene of bloody carnage.

"I tried to escape. The man with the knife approached me. There was a chair and table between us … my prayer shawl got caught. I left it there and escaped," a man who identified himself as Yossi, who was praying at the synagogue at the time of the attack, told Israeli Channel 2 TV. He declined to give his last name.

The attack was the deadliest in Israel’s capital since 2008, when a Palestinian gunman shot eight people in a religious seminary school.

Netanyahu vowed that Israel will "respond harshly" to the attack, which he denounced as a "cruel murder of Jews who came to pray and were killed by despicable murderers." U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said he spoke to Netanyahu after the assault and denounced it as an "act of pure terror and senseless brutality and violence."

Jesus the Lord of Armies

O Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the root of David, who fightest the good fight, and hast called on all men to join Thee, give Thy courage and strength to all Thy soldiers over the whole earth, who are fighting under the standard of Thy Cross. Give grace to every one in his own place to fight Thy battle well. Be with Thy missionaries in pagan lands, put right words into their mouths, prosper their labours, and sustain them under their sufferings with Thy consolations, and carry them on, even through torment and blood (if it be necessary), to their reward in heaven. Give the grace of wisdom to those in high station, that they may neither yield to fear, nor be seduced by flattery. Make them prudent as serpents, and simple as doves. Give Thy blessing to all preachers and teachers, that they may speak Thy words and persuade their hearers to love Thee. Be with all faithful servants of Thine, whether in low {187} station or in high, who mix in the world; instruct them how to speak and how to act every hour of the day, so as to preserve their own souls from evil and to do good to their companions and associates. Teach us, one and all, to live in thy presence and to see Thee, our Great Leader and Thy Cross—and thus to fight valiantly and to overcome, that at the last we may sit down with Thee in Thy Throne, as Thou also hast overcome and art set down with Thy Father in His Throne. {188}